“Deeply moving, sad and haunting…”—Brandon Hobson, National Book Award Finalist and author of Where the Dead Sit TalkingInto Captivity They Will Go is a story for our time, told with sometimes brutal emotional honesty and always with compassion.”—Jennifer Haupt, author of In the Shadow of 10,000 Hills Set in rural Oklahoma, Into Captivity They Will Go tells the story of Caleb Gunter, a boy … whose mother has convinced him he is the second coming of Jesus Christ and that together they are destined to lead the chosen into the Kingdom of Heaven. Believing the Seven Seals detailed in Revelation have been opened, he and his mother flee their home to join a tongue-speaking evangelical church and to prepare for the end of the world, but after tragedy ensues, Caleb must rebuild his life without the only support he has ever known—his mother and the church. An exploration of familial bonds and extremist faith, Into Captivity They Will Go is a whirlwind bildungsroman that reveals the fragility of a child’s identity. It is at once a study of guilt and redemption, and a book of how shattered trust can yet still lay the foundation for an entire life.
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This book is written in three sections. Set in rural Oklahoma the first section is about the birth of Caleb Gunter and his childhood. After a miscarriage Caleb’s mother Evelyn is convinced she will never conceive another child. But after her devoutly religious stepfather performs a ritual over her, eleven weeks later she is pregnant again with Caleb. At first Caleb and his older brother Jonas live a normal life, but when Evelyn’s stepfather dies she goes off the deep end. A Sunday school teacher, she is now more extreme in her teachings, focusing on the book of Revelation and the coming end of the world. She is also convinced that Caleb is the second coming of Jesus and together they are destined to lead the chosen into the Kingdom of Heaven. Everyone in the community now considers Evelyn crazy. Her family is ostracized from the church; Caleb and his brother have no friends; and the boys are bullied and beaten. My heart hurt for the way Caleb was treated by others in the community and the abuse from his mother. Can you imagine the pressure on a child when his mother is telling him “ all the souls of the world are counting on you”? Caleb had no say in his life and, of course, as a young boy he fully trusted his mother. When her husband does not support her in her teachings Evelyn takes Caleb and flees to a friend of her stepfather. There they join an evangelical church and become part of a “cult community” where Evelyn’s visions are more accepted.
The second part of the book follows Evelyn’s descent into madness and the impact of her extremist beliefs has on the “cult community” she has joined and on Caleb. When a tragedy hits the town everything falls apart eventually pitting Evelyn’s community against the outside community and law enforcement.
The first and second parts of the book were intense. With compassion and empathy Milligan expertly spelled out the impact the mother had upon her son and the consequences of religious fanaticism. He showed us how loving parents in a peaceful community which has separated itself from the outside community can be swayed by an authoritarian figure. Surprisingly, even though I could see where this was going, I had compassion for the people caught up in Evelyn’s web. I also reflected on how Evelyn ended up on this path in the first place.
The third part of the book revolves around Caleb, now 18 years old, and his effort to join “normal” society. This part of the book left me wanting so much more. This is a boy who has not known a “normal” life. He had no friends so how does he now cope? His entire life has been based on a false vision. I felt as though Milligan had not thought this part out and just quickly wrapped up the book.
Thank you Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for the egalley. My review reflects only my opinion.